


The Boys at the Rock Show

by 3hree6ix5ive



Series: Blessed Are Those Who See and Are Silent [1]
Category: Sex Education (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Gay Relationship, Falling In Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:27:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22625539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3hree6ix5ive/pseuds/3hree6ix5ive
Summary: “Why are you so quiet?” Adam’s voice cuts through the still of the night. Eric knows he’s been quiet ever since they left school when he grabbed Adam’s hand to pull him away from his mum and sisters, from Otis and Ola and everyone else at school, because he only wanted to be alone with Adam. Now, they were finally alone, on their way to Adam’s place, and Eric had no idea what to say except,what the fuck just happened. “You’re never this quiet,” Adam continues, “have you changed your mind?”
Relationships: Eric Effiong/Adam Groff
Series: Blessed Are Those Who See and Are Silent [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1634317
Comments: 14
Kudos: 237





	The Boys at the Rock Show

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything in almost five years. Then I watched the end of S2 and I found my muse. I wrote over 2700 words in two days. 
> 
> I have a soft spot for anyone who's had to try to live up to impossibly hard parental expectations and has fallen short. I've been there and I understand why Adam is so tense and anxious all the time.
> 
> More coming, I think?

“Why are you so quiet?” Adam’s voice cuts through the still of the night. Eric knows he’s been quiet ever since they left school, when he grabbed Adam’s hand to pull him away from his mum and sisters, from Otis and Ola and everyone else at school, because he only wanted to be alone with Adam. Now, they were finally alone, on their way to Adam’s place, and Eric had no idea what to say except, _what the fuck just happened_. “You’re never this quiet,” Adam continues, “have you changed your mind?”

Eric looks down at their joined hands and smiles. He loves the feel of Adam’s large hand around his own, loves that everyone in school has seen this, loves that his mom and sisters have also seen and seem to wholeheartedly approve of Adam. So, no, he has definitely not changed his mind. He just can’t believe any of this is real, that something like this has happened to _him_. 

His thoughts are interrupted again when Adam stops walking and looks at him expectantly. _Oh right_ , Eric thinks, _Adam asked me a question_. Eric shakes his head, “no, I haven’t.”

Adam breathes a sigh of relief. "My mum's gone out," he unlocks his front door, "to an event she found on Facebook so I gotta let Madam out to piss." He picks up the dog that trots out to greet them and plants a few kisses on her head. "I'll be back soon," he points at the fridge, "you want something to drink? We got Coke, I think."

Eric drops his stuff near the front door and kicks off his shoes. This is his first time at Adam’s house and he wants to see if he can find out more about the quiet, mumbling boy that has captivated his heart. Eric looks around and frowns. The Groff home is different, to put it politely. This home, if it can be called that, feels uninviting, boring, and stiff, and, except for a few mangoes on the kitchen table, seems completely void of any life. There are a couple family photos of Adam with his older sister and their parents — a large one on the wall and smaller one on the end table — but it doesn’t really look like anyone lives here. There are no bags or shoes lying at the front entrance, no personal touches. Everything is perfect, prim, and proper, like a museum.

Eric stops snooping when he hears the door open. He turns around and sees Adam standing a few feet away with his hands shoved into his pockets. He looks uncomfortable and Eric wonders what Adam is thinking about. 

“I like your home," Eric doesn’t takes his eyes off of Adam.

Adam makes a face, "it’s shit,” he says as he heads to the kitchen. He’s back moments later holding two glasses filled with Coke. Eric takes the glass and sits on the sofa, patting the spot beside him. 

"Dad doesn't like it when we sit there."

 _It seems like your dad doesn't like much of anything_ , Eric thinks. He opens his mouth to say exactly that but decides against it when he sees Adam clench his left hand into a fist. He doesn't want to get into the subject of Adam’s father right now, doesn't want to do or say anything to make Adam feel bad.

"Well, your mom kicked him out right?" Eric pats the spot beside him again, "come sit next to me."

Adam hesitates and Eric hears what is unspoken, that yes, his father isn’t around right now, but for Adam, he’s always there, his voice a constant reminder that Adam is a disappointment, that Adam doesn’t measure up to his arbitrary, impossibly high standards, that Adam isn’t enough. 

Eric sees the struggle behind Adam's eyes, wanting to please Eric while being terrified of his father. The idea that Adam feels uncomfortable in his home, one of the places he should feel most at ease, makes Eric feel angry, and he hopes things are getting better now that Adam’s dad doesn't live here anymore.

“Where do you sit when you’re at home?"

"My room, usually, or the kitchen."

Eric looks at the uncomfortable chairs in the kitchen and says gently, "let's go sit in your room, but for the record, it's shit that you’re not allowed to sit on a sofa in your own home."

So, Adam leads Eric up to his bedroom. With the exception of a few posters on the wall, Adam's room looks a lot like the rest of the house. It lacks any touches of Adam's personality, which Eric finds odd. Surely Adam has interests and things he likes. He feels Adam watching him and tries to hide a frown, which doesn’t work of course. Eric’s face has always given away his feelings and this time is no different. Adam shoves his hands into his pockets and looks at the floor. Shit, Eric thinks. _Shit. Shit Shit. Shit. Shit. I’ve gone and fucked this up._

“Dad made mum throw most of my stuff away or take it to charity before I got back,” Adam waves his hands around the room. “She hid as much as she could from him, but still.”

“You were on your way home! Why would he do that?”

Adam shrugs, “send a message I guess. He didn’t want me to get comfortable in case he needed to kick me out for whatever stupid thing he imagined I’d go and do to piss him off.”

Adam tries to look nonchalant, like it doesn't matter, but Eric sees that it does. He wants to reach out and comfort Adam, but instead Adam steps closer and puts his arms around Eric's shoulders. Adam hasn’t ever held him like this before, they hadn't been this close physically since that first time, and Eric closes his eyes, loving the feeling of being in Adam's arms. He puts his arms around Adam's waist and buries his face into Adam's neck. Adam hugs back, those strong arms embracing him tightly. 

"Can I kiss you?" Adam whispers.

Eric nods and Adam kisses him then, softly like always. The way Adam kisses is one of the many things that surprises him. Eric had expected Adam’s kisses would be aggressive, even a little rough, but instead they are tentative and unsure at first, and then slow, soft, and tender. He wonders if Adam kisses him like this because he’s trying to sear each moment into his memory, because he thinks memories are all he’ll have one day. Eric hopes that’s not the case anymore. 

Eric pulls away and leads Adam toward the bed where they sit holding hands. "I know I’m being weird,” Eric explains, “I'm still shocked that you did that in front of everybody. Why did you do that?"

"I wanted you to know that I … I like being around you and I want to be around you more." 

“Well Adam Groff, I like being around you too."

"Why?” Adam looks up at him then, confusion all over his face. Eric strokes Adam’s cheek and Adam closes his eyes and leans into the touch.

“Well, that’s not the easiest question to answer is it. Why do you like being around me?"

"You make me feel alive." 

_Oh_. Eric isn’t expecting that. Adam shrugs, like his declaration isn’t a big deal, when in fact, it’s a huge fucking deal. And Eric knows how difficult it is for Adam to put himself out there like this, his vulnerability likely having been shamed and driven away by his father, so he kisses Adam's forehead, then both of his cheeks, before pulling Adam into his arms. He feels a pang in his heart when Adam embraces him tightly, because it’s obvious that Adam is starved for physical affection and Eric wonders when Adam was last held like this. Eric suspects it's been years, maybe not since he was a tiny child. 

"I can't explain what I feel or why I feel what I feel. I've never felt what I feel with you before," Eric continues, "all I know is that I like how I feel when we're together."

"Me too," Adam mumbles into Eric's neck, “can I kiss you again?"

"You better," Eric teases, "or else."

"Or else what?"

"You don't wanna find out."

"Show me what you got, tough guy," Adam teases. 

Eric giggles. He’s never seen this side of Adam before, relaxed and carefree, like nothing could touch him. They kiss for a while, slow and languid, before Adam whispers, quiet and hopeful, "wanna lie down?” And yes, Eric very much wants to lie down so he can feel Adam's body against him again. He's wanted this since the first time they kissed. 

They scoot back on the bed and start kissing again, this time with Adam on top of him, his large body enveloping Eric like a warm blanket. Suddenly, they’re really kissing, wet, intense kisses that send tingles all over Eric’s entire body, all the way down to his toes. And Eric can’t think anymore, can’t process much beyond _more, more, more_. He needs more, more kissing like this, more of Adam’s body against his own, more of Adam. He needs to feel Adam's skin so he pushes his hands under Adam's shirt and trails his hands over Adam's chest. "Off," Eric gasps between kisses, "take your shirt off please.”

Adam complies and then shoves Eric’s hands out of the way to undo the buttons on Eric’s shirt, throwing it across the room. Eric grips Adam’s ass, smirking when Adam squeezes his eyes shut before leaning down to kiss Eric again. 

“Cheating,” Adam gasps, when Eric squeezes his ass again. “No fair.”

Eric chuckles and takes the opportunity to flip Adam on to his back. He hovers over Adam and watches as this beautiful boy stares up at him in awe. Eric looks into Adam’s eyes, searching for a sign that this is real, that Adam would catch him and let himself be caught, that he made the right decision when he picked Adam. 

“Eric,” Adam breathes. Eric startles because he’s never heard his name sound like this before, reverent and hopeful, like a prayer. It’s all Eric needs to hear, because he leans down and kisses Adam on the mouth, demanding, full of passion and desire. He’s hard, he can feel that Adam is too, so he grinds down and then squeezes Adam through his jeans, drawing a sharp grunt. “Can I?” Eric asks rubbing Adam’s dick over his jeans. Adam nods so Eric unzips Adams pants and pulls them off. Adam tugs at Eric’s pants and Eric happily takes them off too. 

Eric presses open-mouthed kisses on Adam’s neck and hears Adam panting hard. He doesn't want to wait anymore so he shoves his hand into Adam’s underwear and squeezes his dick. 

“Uhh,” Adam groans, “yeah.”

“Yeah?” Eric nods, and then feeling bolder he does it again, “you like that?”

Adam arches his back so Eric does it again and again and again because he loves watching Adam become slowly undone like this. He pulls Adam’s dick out of his underwear and stares. It’s the biggest he’s ever seen and unintentionally, he grimaces.

He feels Adam sigh before he hears it. He didn’t realize Adam was watching him. Adam pushes Eric’s face away and tucks himself into is underwear, “you don’t have to.” He sounds ashamed and Eric feels awful knowing it’s because of him. 

“Adam that’s not —”

“— don’t worry about it.”

“I want to suck it, I really do, I’ve just never seen one that big before. I mean I knew it was big but seeing it up this close, I mean.” 

“The only thing people know about me, right? Adam with the huge dick.”

Eric sighs. Adam was right. Most people talked about the size of his dick and if they weren’t openly talking about it, they were probably thinking about it. It was shitty and Adam deserved better. 

“I’m sorry people have made you feel that way, that _I_ made you feel that way. It’s not okay.”

“Can we just go back to kissing. I like kissing you.” 

Eric shakes his head, determined, “you just need to give me a minute. I’ve thought about doing this since you went away.”

“Oh, well, I’ve thought of it since I saw you with the banana.”

Eric presses his face into Adam’s chest to hide is embarrassment, “why would you bring that up now when I’m going to suck your dick?” Adam laughs and Eric thinks that he’ll never get tired of that sound, not ever. 

“You’ve really thought about me since that night?”

“Hm, maybe since before that even,” Adam chews his bottom lip, “sorry I took so long to figure shit out.”

“Well, I have to admit, I did find the window thing rather romantic in an 80s rom-com kind of way. So, thank you for throwing rocks at my window and taking me to smash things and for what you did at the play.”

“You deserve so much more,” Adam rubs Eric’s lips with his thumb, “I owe you so much more.”

“You don't owe me anything,” Eric shakes his head when he sees Adam start to protest, “I don't want our relationship to be about the past and who owes who. I want it to be about the present,” Eric kisses Adam, “and the future,” Eric kisses him again, “and this moment,” one more kiss, “and right now, I’m ready to suck your dick.”

Adam opens his mouth to say something but snaps it shut when Eric takes him in his mouth. It’s not too long before Adam is panting heavily and grabbing the bedsheets and Eric smirks around Adam’s dick. Soon, Eric feels a heat in his own dick so he strokes himself to get some relief so he can make this last a bit longer. But then, it’s Adam’s hands stroking his face and shoulders, Adam groaning above him and chanting _Eric, Eric, Eric, oh god Eric, please so good_ , and Adam arching his back. It’s the pent up emotions of the time they were forced to spend apart and the time since Adam got back. And though Eric hoped it wouldn’t be over this quickly, he’s not too disappointed because he knows there will be other times, but today, today it’s just all too much for either of them. Adam crashes down with a surprised gasp and Eric follows soon after.

“Hi,” Adam says, moments later when Eric presses his face into Adam’s neck.

“Hi.”

“That was so much better than the banana.” Adam laughs at his own joke and Eric feels butterflies in his stomach. He wants to kiss Adam again so he leans closer but before their lips touch his stomach grumbles loudly and this time, they both laugh. Adam nudges him gently, “Mum usually leaves something for supper in the fridge when she goes out. I’ll heat it up.”

They dress and head downstairs into the kitchen. Adam heats up the food and they sit close, eating from the same plate. It’s a comfortable silence until Adam takes his hand. “Thank you for giving me a chance. When I do something wrong, or if I’m not enough or you need something different, promise you’ll tell me so I can do better?”

“All I need is for you to do your best.”

“But my best is never good enough and I’ve hurt you.”

“You did hurt me, yes,” Eric agrees, “but I’m not the kind of person that punishes someone forever after they’ve changed. And from what I’ve seen today, your best was more than enough. I need you to trust that you’re not my second choice. I know you find it difficult to trust people, because people have let you down, but I need you to trust me, because I trust you.”

Adam doesn't say anything to that. Eric doesn’t mind. He knows Adam well enough now to understand that Adam needs time to process things, needs time to relate his thoughts and feelings into words. Eric’s willing to give him that time. 

“I trust you,” Adam says eventually. 

Eric knows they have things to work through, that it won’t always be easy, that Adam’s upbringing and insecurities may sometimes get in the way, and that he may sometimes push Adam too much. But he hopes that whatever this thing is between them will last because Adam makes him feel alive too.


End file.
